Engineering Manager 3 – Commerce Propulsion Tanks

 Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector invites you to bring your pioneering spirit to our collaborative teams. As Engineering Manager – Commerce Propulsion Tanks, you will lead the multidiscipline engineering organization responsible for designing, analyzing, testing, and supporting propulsion tanks produced at our Commerce, CA site. 

You will manage a team of 14+ engineers and technical staff (structural analysis, materials & processes, test engineering, mechanical design, tooling, a test technician, and the Chief Engineer). You will ensure the team has the people, tools, skills, and culture needed to support current programs and execute the propulsion tank technology roadmap. This role reports to the Director, Western Region Vehicle Engineering – Propulsion and Structures. 

The ideal candidate is a positive, visible leader with strong engineering management experience who can improve morale, develop talent, and build an engaged, high performing team. 

The Engineering Manager is accountable for the performance and health of the Commerce propulsion tank engineering organization, including: 

• Providing engineering leadership to a multidiscipline team of structural analysis, M&P, mechanical design, tooling, and test personnel. 

• Owning people leadership, staffing, development, and engagement. 

• Ensuring engineering processes, tools, and skills support cost, schedule, and quality commitments, and leading continuous improvement initiatives focused on process effectiveness, design and analysis rigor, and manufacturability of propulsion tanks. 

• Collaborating with senior technical leaders to enable execution of the propulsion tank technical roadmap and adoption of new technologies. 

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

People Leadership & Culture 

• Lead the Commerce propulsion tank engineering team (structural analysis, M&P, mechanical, tooling, test, and Chief Engineer). 

• Own hiring, staffing, performance management, and development plans for the engineering team; share day to today technical coaching with senior technical leaders. 

• Foster a positive, inclusive, high trust culture in a small team, with a focus on improving morale and psychological safety. 

• Model Northrop Grumman’s leadership behaviors: set a clear vision, build a high performing team, take ownership, lead with courage, respond with resilience, and act with speed. 

• Lead the team through significant change, setting clear priorities, communicating transparently, and helping engineers navigate shifting demands while maintaining engagement and focus. 

• Implement succession and talent development plans, ensuring engineers are growing in technical depth and leadership capability. 

• Identify and develop technical and team leads within the organization, building a sustainable leadership bench and reducing singlepoint dependencies. 

• Promote knowledge sharing, mentoring, and best practice adoption across analysis, M&P, test, mechanical, and tooling disciplines. 

Engineering Operations & Execution 

• Establish and maintain a highly effective engineering organization capable of supporting propulsion tank programs across multiple locations, divisions, and customers. 

• Ensure the team is equipped with the training, tools, and staffing needed to meet cost, schedule, and quality commitments across programs and IRAD/CRAD. 

• Manage the engineering budget and headcount plan; optimize utilization and staffing across programs and IRAD/CRAD efforts. 

• Work with Program Management and Operations to manage engineering workload and priorities, balancing urgent needs with long term health of the team and avoiding unsustainable fire drill cycles. 

• Develop, implement, and maintain discipline specific processes and tools for structural analysis, M&P, test, mechanical design, and tooling, in alignment with sector and functional standards. 

• Define and monitor metrics for engineering efficiency, quality, and on time performance, and drive continuous improvement in affordability, knowledge management, and engineering utilization. 

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives within the engineering organization, including refinements to design and analysis practices, test and verification approaches, processes and procedures, configuration management, and collaboration with Operations and Quality to improve manufacturability and yields.

• Champion a strong quality and mission assurance mindset within the engineering team, ensuring design and analysis decisions reflect safety, reliability, and customer expectations. 

• Identify organizational gaps and proactively forecast potential challenges to program execution; lead root cause and corrective actions that address systemic issues in staffing, process, or coordination. 

• Build strong partnerships with Program Management, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and other leaders to ensure seamless coordination and delivery. 

Collaboration & Technology Roadmap 

• Work closely with senior technical leaders to ensure the engineering organization can effectively execute the propulsion tank technical roadmap.

• Align staffing, skill development, and process changes to support adoption of additive manufacturing and other advanced manufacturing methods defined in that roadmap. 

• Ensure engineering processes, tools, and training keep pace with evolving propulsion tank architectures (e.g., PMD designs, COPVs, diaphragm tanks) and material/forging constraints. 

• Support major technical reviews, investigations, and nonconformance resolution by ensuring the right resources, coordination, and crossfunctional participation are in place. 

• Connect the Commerce engineering team with broader Northrop Grumman communities of practice, training resources, and bestpractice networks to accelerate learning and adoption of proven approaches. 

• Participate in customer and leadership meetings focused on commitments, staffing, and organizational readiness, while senior technical leaders lead detailed technical content. 

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) from an accredited university with 8+ years of experience in mechanical, structural, or related engineering disciplines, including aerospace, space, or other mission critical hardware domains. 

• Prior engineering leadership experience (e.g., team lead, functional manager, department manager) with responsibility for people leadership and organizational performance, supporting multidiscipline engineering teams in a hardware centric environment. 

• Experience leading engineering organizations that support additive manufacturing or other advanced manufacturing methods.

• Ability to improve team morale and performance, build engagement, and foster an inclusive, collaborative culture. 

• Experience with engineering processes and metrics related to staffing, utilization, quality, and on time delivery. 

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and partner effectively with Program Management, Operations, Quality, and senior leadership. 

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Materials Engineering or related STEM field with 12 years of experience; OR Master’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Materials Engineering, or related STEM field with 10 years of experience

• Experience with propulsion tanks, pressure vessels, or related structural hardware, including familiarity with PMDs, COPVs, diaphragm tanks, or forging constraints. 

• Prior leadership experience in a site or value stream context with a clear turnaround or growth mandate. 

• Experience defining and implementing engineering process improvements, common toolsets, and knowledge management practices across teams and locations. 

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

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